Three Books to Read in Your Twenties

Our twenties is probably the most exciting and neurotic time of our lives. Your experiences will vary and you are bound to experiment and learn from your mistakes. As fun and as great they may sound, certain decisions you have made in your twenties will greatly impact your future, hence, making it a crucial decade of your life. These are just some of the books that might help you get the right perspective on making the most out of your life in your twenties.

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

As a bestselling author, Malcolm Gladwell surely hit another winner with Outliers. In this book, he takes an in – depth view of what really brings success and greatness to people. Countless numbers of books are published to talk about the same topic, but it’s Gladwell’s style of writing and selection of anecdotes that truly sets his book apart from others. His brilliance shines through his perfectly illustrated, perfectly timed, perfectly laid out arguments and theories which transport the readers to the minds of his subjects and even to his own.

The book is also widely known for its concept of the 10,000 – hour rule. The 10,000 – hour rule refers to the notion that it typically takes that amount of time to “master” a skill. This conclusion was broken down using different narratives. For instance, he used the story of a team of psychologists in Berlin, Germany who made a study about violin students. He made a connection about these elite performing violin students and how early they have started playing the violin, reaching an average of 10,000 hours of practice. In connection to this, Gladwell also recounts the story of Bill Gates and Paul Allen’s journey of learning codes and eventually building the technology empire that is now Microsoft, as well as the Beatle’s’ experience in Hamburg, Germany where they played at night clubs eight hours a night for 7 days a week. Arguably compelling, Outliers will surely motivate anyone into practicing their way to greatness.

The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter and How to Make the Most of Them Now By Meg Jay

Intentionality – this is mainly one of the undertones of Meg Jay’s book The Defining Decade. The book serves as a collection of insights from Jay’s previous clients having the same dilemma: How can I make the most out of my twenties?

Focusing on 4 critical areas of a young adult’s life – work, love, brain and body – the author recounts common problems that people in their twenties face using her clients’ stories. Jay lays out the solutions constructively and in a very compelling fashion. Her collection of stories builds a persona that is truly relatable, but at the same time puts a healthy pressure to the reader to self – assess and move towards the right direction – direction toward intentional changes.

“In one way or another,” Jay writes, “almost every twenty – something client have wondered, ‘Will things work out for me?’ The uncertainty behind that question is what makes twenty – something life so difficult, but it is also what makes twenty – something action so possible and so necessary. It’s unsettling to not know the future and, in a way, even more daunting to consider that what we are doing with our twenty – something lives might be determining it.”

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

From the title itself, it’s easy to see where this is going. To cap off this list – and to add to the mindset of constant practice and making intentional changes – let us look at how habits can transform our lives. Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer – prize winning business reporter, and in his book he creates an environment where true potential can be easily tapped by understanding the power of habit through carefully selected narratives. He connects individuals and their habit – oriented ways to how corporations and lifestyles have changed.

Some of the examples he took is the story of Paul O’Neill and his stint as CEO of Alcoa in 1987 that led the way to being one of the best CEOs in modern history, as well as the discovery by P&G executives of a new way to market their Febreze product.

One of the takeaways from this book is that at the heart of each habit is a craving: “Cravings are what drive habits. And figuring out how to spark a craving makes creating a new habit easier.” Backed by science and equally moving as the other two books, The Power of Habit will give its readers a new perspective of their daily lives.

I’m a fan of Malcolm Gladwell having read his previous Blink and The Tipping Point. All his books are about interesting topics and are told in a way that keeps the reader engaged. Similarly to the other books the criticism can always be made that he makes about 4-5 valid points and stretches them out to a full book but when the writing is engaging and takes you on a journey it doesn’t really matter.

I became interested with these books that you have mentioned in this blog. If it can help in motivating people of age twenty’s, it will also be very helpful to those who are above the age of twenty. Motivators are what we need to succeed in life.
These books are good motivators.